Where Is The Big Bang Theory Set?

It took 279 episodes to tell the entire story of "The Big Bang Theory," yet there may still be people out there who ask where the show is set. It's a natural question, as establishing shots can be hard to come by, and the characters spend much of their time indoors (the natural dwelling of the nerd). But the answer is quite simple — "The Big Bang Theory" takes place in the real-life city of Pasadena, California.

Pasadena is just northeast of Los Angeles, but many of the scenes featured on the sitcom are simply on soundstages. Therefore, anyone who wants to be where the action mostly was will want to schedule a Warner Bros. Studio Tour and keep their eyes peeled for Stage 25. Of course, fans could check out the Warner Bros. lot and make their way to Pasadena on the same day for the full experience.

"The Big Bang Theory" taking place in Pasadena is evident by the four central friends — Leonard (Johnny Galecki), Sheldon (Jim Parsons), Raj (Kunal Nayyar), and Howard (Simon Helberg) — working at CalTech, a real university. Eventually, Howard works for the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, also located in Pasadena. Outside of the characters' occupations, many real-life Pasadena locales are referred to by name, such as Lucky Baldwin's getting a shout-out in Season 4's "The Irish Pub Formation." The writers clearly had fun pulling from actual Pasadena elements, but not everything on the show can be found in the real world.

Anyone wanting to embark on a "Big Bang Theory" tour of Pasadena may be disappointed to learn The Comic Center, where the main characters spent a good deal of time with owner Stuart Bloom (Kevin Sussman), isn't an actual place. However, that shouldn't deter people from not checking out the local comic scene in the city. It's been established that The Comic Center is near CalTech and Pasadena City College. This would put it in the vicinity of a very real store called Comics Factory, which has been in the area since 1994. There's a good chance the show wanted to pay tribute to Comics Factory through this inclusion.

Another prominent spot depicted on "The Big Bang Theory" is the Cheesecake Factory, where Penny (Kaley Cuoco) works. There is, in fact, a Cheesecake Factory in Pasadena; however, it's unlikely the show ever filmed at that real-life location. LAist notes how the restaurant's interior, as seen on the show, looks different from how it is in reality. Therefore, it was likely a soundstage creation but still had a basis for where Penny could've feasibly worked in Pasadena. 

While "The Big Bang Theory" pays tribute to many Pasadena landmarks, the city decided to give something back to the show. Old Town Pasadena has a street sign labeled "Big Bang Theory Way." It just leads into an alley, but it's a cool way for the city to show the sitcom some love.